Latest Airlines News

"National carrier Air New Zealand plans to cut up to 200 full-time jobs in response to falling passenger numbers, it said on Wednesday.

The company said it has been reducing capacity in line with falling demand and needed to reduce its work force accordingly. About half of the redundancies will hit long-haul cabin crew, with technical, planning and management jobs also to be cut.

It said it had tried to minimize the cuts by offering reduced hours, not replacing some jobs and freezing executive pay."

(Reuters)

Passengers on Air France looking for extra legroom will now have to pay to sit in emergency exit rows or in the front rows, making the carrier the first in the industry to introduce this type of supplement charge.

The seats involved are those not having other seats directly in front of them, making it possible for passengers with long legs to stretch out a bit more.

Until the introduction of this charge, in many cases passengers have been able to request these seats when checking in for a flight.

From this point, however, these seats on Air France will be sold at a premium, with passengers paying the surcharge either on the phone when making a booking, or online.

“It will be a small charge to have to pay for extra legroom,” said a spokesman for the airline, noting that the £40 charge will be applied to long-haul services first.

Passengers who are members of the airline’s Flying Blue card will still be able to reserve the seats at the standard price, after they have reached the frequent flier Gold or Platinum status, according to the spokesman.

The surcharge is now in effect on flights from France to North America, and will be expanded to cover the remainder of the airline’s long-haul network.

Industry observers anticipate that the idea will be copied by other airlines, as the industry continues to struggle financially in the challenging economic climate.

Thanks to www.telegraph.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

(Air France)

For travel on or after December 5, 2008, customers flying within the United States will be charged $15 for the first checked bag and $25 for the second checked bag, consistent with Northwest’s existing policies.

Customers who purchased Delta tickets on or before Nov. 5, 2008, and who are traveling on or after Dec. 5, 2008, will be charged $50 for a second bag, but will be permitted to check their first bag without charge pursuant to Delta’s previous policy.

All customers flying in First or Business Class, including SkyMiles Medallion members and WorldPerks Elite members, will receive up to three checked bags, up to 70 pounds each, for free. SkyMiles Medallion members and WorldPerks Elite members flying in Coach Class will receive up to two checked bags, up to 70 pounds each, for free.

All customers traveling in full fare (Y) Coach Class, as well as customers traveling internationally will receive up to two checked bags, up to 50 pounds each, for free.

U.S. Military personnel on active duty with travel orders will continue to be able to check up to 10 pieces of luggage on Delta- and Northwest-operated flights only.

(Delta Airlines)

Passengers can also send and receive text messages, and use their Blackberry-type devices to send and receive e-mails, Malaysia Airlines, or MAS, said in a statement.

It said the airline teamed up with AeroMobile, a British company, to become the first Asian carrier to offer in-flight mobile phone and data services via satellite with passengers using their own equipment.

(Source)